The Automata
by TheRipleyMystery
Summary: The sequel to my story, 'The Airship'. Hiccup and Astrid live happily on Berk, with their little daughter Lyra. He is fitting well in Berkian society. Now he works on his newest masterpiece: a working, thinking, living Automata. However, an old enemy threatens to upset the peaceful living Hiccup has made for himself. A steampunk story with swearing, death and love! Enjoy!
1. The Automata

**Author's Note: Hey guys, it's me, Thomas! If you don't know already, this is the sequel to my previous story, The Airship, which you can find on my profile. You should most definitely read that first if you want to get an understanding of what's going on in this story, since it _is_ a sequel. **

**As always with a new story, I've posted just a chapter and will take a look at some of the community (that's you!) feedback. If its positive, then I'll continue and if not, then I'll not. Anyways, please have a read, I hope you enjoy and _please_ leave some feedback, I appreciate very much!**

 **Thanks,**

 **-Thomas**

* * *

There was little he could think of as he sat there, tinkering with the delicate mechanical fingers of the automata. Outside, the wind blew harsh and cold across the vast stretch of ocean before buffeting of the cabin. The room was spacious enough, with several furs laid in front of a crackling fire, the burning logs occasionally sending up sudden eruptions of embers up the chimney, the iridescent red, orange and yellow flames dancing to an unheard tune. Large windows were cut into the walls, where thick panes of windows sat as they were beaten by the wind and gently touched by the falls of snow. If it wasn't for the wind, Hiccup might've even heard the crashing of the waves on the pebble beach, the rocks rudely clacking against one another as the water shuffled them backwards and forwards, again and again.

Hiccup sat in a small stool, in front of a body made of metal. It had no mouth or nose, only a pair of optic lenses that sat widely apart from another, separated by a band of metal on a face made of leather. Hiccup had just installed a metal grille, placed just below the eyes in the centre of the face so that the machine could articulate. It was placed at the centre of the room, hoisted upright by a series of chains and rope. It was a silent guardian, watchful and ever present. Little Lyra had grown accustomed to its presence, thankfully. Hiccup couldn't help but chuckle when he remembered those little fits of childish panic whenever Lyra had seen some of Hiccup's inventions. Soon, a rumble of deep laughter rolled from his lungs when he thought of when Lyra had met Toothless. Tears of mirth appeared at his eyes as he set his tools down, his body racked with laughter. The poor little girl! She kept thinking that Toothless would eat her!

"Is everything okay?" A lyrical voice asked, the words drifting into Hiccup's ears were more musical than anything he could ever hope to produce. He tried to calm himself down, "My goodness, you're certainly happy about something."

"Do you remember... heheh, when, er, when Lyra first saw Toothless?" Hiccup managed to say between bouts of laughter.

"Oh yes," that beautiful voice started to laugh too before Astrid plopped herself into Hiccup's lap, arms around his neck. The two stared into each other's eyes as if they had seen them for the first time all over again, "I remember. She was so afraid, even after everything you did. Even after she got used to him, she had nightmares!"

And for a moment, the two enjoyed themselves, laughing away by the warmth of a burning fire, the winds and the snow be damned. Winter had descended on Berk rather ferociously this year, arriving earlier than the village Elder had expected. As a result, the village was thrown into disarray. Food hadn't been properly stored, stocks still unfilled and winter clothes still not patched up yet. Crops had died still in the bitter, frozen ground and the ships were stranded at dock, the storms too ferocious to risk at this time of year. Toothless was doing his best to help feed the village, making daily trips into the waters surrounding Berk in search of fish. So far, it had worked well but Hiccup knew it was putting a strain on his friend, who would often return to the cabin on the outskirts of Berk soaked and immediately retreating to his rocky den, collapsing in an exhausted heap. Hiccup made sure that Toothless was okay, to which Toothless would nod tiredly and close his mechanical eyes, before proceeding to make an imitation of snoring.

"Still working on him?" Astrid wondered.

"Yes, I'm just seeing if I can make his fingers more dexterous." Hiccup explained, holding up the hand for Astrid to see. She took a quick look at it before turning her attention to the automata. Her fingers traced invisible shapes across the machine's metal armoured body, finding the hidden latches that opened the automata's protective chest and revealing its inner workings. In the years that the two of them had been married, Astrid had been thoroughly educated in the workings of machinery and mechanics. Admittedly, she was never good at the stuff but at least she wasn't left in the dark as she was when the two had first met, all those precious years ago, "That's new, you've added in a core receptacle for him."

"You know, he, er, he does have a name." Hiccup said, nodding.

"Oh right, yes, what was it?"

"Erm, his name... well, he doesn't have one per se. I just call him Prototype."

"Not a very good one, is it?" She wondered aloud, frowning at him.

"No, not, not at all but it will do, since that is what he is. And yes, I've added in a core receptacle." He admitted, pointing out the hollow space underneath the wiring and the gears that made up the Prototype's chest. Several cables had been left unattached to anything, instead hanging freely inside that empty space.

"What are you up to now?"

"I... I've been working on him for years now... and... I've never really stopped. I don't know but something's missing. He seemed to not, be, er, he didn't seem... he wasn't finished to me. I thought that..." Hiccup ranted, unable to properly voice his thoughts in a way that frustrated him to no end. He was always so skilled with his words, always seeming to be able to find the right words. Worry was weighty on his mind. Something had been happening to him these past few months. Memories were starting to go missing from his head, events in the day simply vanishing, words escaping him. Astrid was starting to notice it too.

"It's okay, I understand what you're talking about." Astrid said, laying a hand on his before pulling his lips into hers. The feeling of her flesh on his, the feeling of their lips together and their tongues mingling, speaking their secret talks, her scent filling his nose made his head spin, just as it did when they first kissed, back in that dark forest not too far from here. The worry slowly faded away with every moment longer they kissed.

With great reluctance and greater thoughts of doubt, Hiccup and Astrid pulled away, her delectable taste still on his tongue.

"Can he still work without the core?"

"Yes, the core isn't meant as a source of power, that's why the receptacle is smaller." He said, reaching forward and closing the protective hatch to the Prototype's chest. He then removed a few cables leading off of automata's sides and arms. A few flicks of some hidden switches later and a gentle humming filled the air. The chains that held the machine upright were loosened and finally pulled away as the Prototype activated. Its two mechanical eyes blinked once, twice and then looked down at the two. It made a very stiff wave.

"Damn, I... I forgot to put the arm back on," Hiccup remarked. He shook his head, "Its fine. Prototype!" The machine looked down at Hiccup and made a series of grating noises from behind the metal grille.

"Well, he certainly has a way with words." Astrid noted, raising an eyebrow at her husband.

"Core's not installed yet, he won't be able to say anything properly yet."

"I assume you'll be making this core yourself?" Astrid said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Most likely." Astrid didn't like this answer, Hiccup could see it clearly in her face, "Don't worry, sweetheart. It'll leave me exhausted and tired but so long as I go into the process healthy and ready, I should come out perfectly fine. Okay? It's all going to be alright. It's all going to be perfectly fine."

* * *

"Captain! A ship, sir, off to starboard! Looks abandoned!" Shouted the Perrin the lookout, perched like a crow, watchful, on the mast. His eyes were exceptionally suited to the darkness of the night. His thin clothes offered little protection against the cold and the blasts of water and rain. He shivered uncontrollably most of the time but he did as he was told, since that was what kept him alive among this band of brigands. The crew rushed over to the side, craning their necks to try and get a peek at what the lookout had spotted. They hadn't spotted a single merchant ship for the past few weeks and the coin was starting to dry up. They cursed the winter and they cursed the weather. Here, however, was a chance for them to make some money.

The door to the Captain's quarters suddenly slammed open and the entire crew turned to look at him. He was an imposing figure, built like a mountain. He had thick, shaggy hair that he never bothered to cut and a beard that easily went down to his chest. At his hip was a sword that was heavy enough to take a man's head off clean with one swing.

"What in the fuck is going on here?" He roared, voice carrying loud over the howling winds and the crash of the sea.

"Sir, a ship! Off to starboard! There doesn't seem to be anyone onboard!" Perrin repeated, fear building in his chest at the very sight of the Captain. He was a man that was to be feared, a man with a death sentence with 12 nations. Perrin made sure to keep out of the Captain's way.

"Finally, a fucken ship to fucken loot! I've been getting tired with all this shit. Helmsman! Make way! Everyone else, get your shit in order, swords, pikes, you know what to fucking do!" The Captain shouted, the men quickly getting to their stations. No one dared to oppose him.

As they drew closer to the ship, they knew something was wrong. The hull wasn't made of regular wood, they would know. Instead, the hull and the entire ship was made of pitch black iron. This was a warship. Some of the men took long, hard swigs from bottles passed around, steeling themselves. Despite this, not on dared to question the Captain. Perrin, from his perch on the mast, could see bodies on the deck and they weren't a pretty sight at all. Their raiding ship, the _Cutter_ , was absolutely tiny compared to this iron-hulled warship.

The _Cutter_ drew up alongside of the warship and the men stormed up onto the deck using ropes thrown up onto the ship. With fierce battlecries they pulled themselves up and were quickly silenced at the sight of the massacre before them. Bodies lay strewn across the deck like a boy discarding toy soldiers. The blood had long since been washed away by the harsh winds, rain and waves but it didn't dull the scene at all. In the fearsome dark of the night, the crew of the _Cutter_ stumbled upon a total slaughter. Some bodies had limbs missing, necks snapped like so many twigs. Fear was engraved into their features, their hands tightly gripping their weapons in the picture of their deaths. The worst, however, were the bodies that were burnt. Their skin was blackened, charred and crackled, like pig's skin left over the fire. Their eyeballs had popped in their sockets and blood gently oozed from the cracks in their sizzled skin. It was sickening, even for some of the hardened men, long into their years of piracy. Perrin look around, both horrified and amazed that this much carnage could be wreaked. However, there was something that made Perrin think. This was the sign of a massive battle but all of the bodies here had the same armour, wore the same uniform. Where was the enemy?

"Spread out! I want this damned ship torn apart!" The Captain shouted, taking in the carnage with delight. He relished the sight of blood.

Perrin made his way through the bodies cautiously, his feet trying to find a piece of deck that wasn't covered by a corpse. What could've done this? Who? He saw great dents in the deck, in the shape of footprints. What on this Earth could be so powerful? He crossed by a raised metal platform that looked so odd in the middle of a ship. There was only a single body on the platform. Perrin looked closer and was shocked. The body wasn't a man but a woman! She looked beautiful too, despite the scarring on her face. Perrin suddenly felt something inside him he had never felt before. He quickly scaled the platform and knelt beside this woman who looked more like a girl than anything, she was just so young! He parted the strands of hair that blocked her face and looked down at this girl's face. Her back had been broken but her face looked so serene. He reached out to touch her cheek...

Suddenly, the world around him went dark, as if all of the light in the world had been taken away. He scrambled backwards, pushing himself to his feet. The girl's corpse had disappeared. An eerie, frightening and distinctly female laugh rang through the air. He looked all around him and found no way out. He felt something brush against his shoulders and he screamed, breaking into a run. No matter how fast he ran, nothing seemed to change, it was all dark.

"Why are you so frightened?" A voice shrill and demonic cried out, "I know what you want, child. I know you want power, to be powerful. I know you want to be rid of your Captain."

Indistinct images flashed in front of his eyes. A tall man with a missing leg. A blonde-haired girl. A mechanical beast.

"I know that you want to be strong, Perrin Regnarson. I know you want to be free of this life. I can help you."

"WHO ARE YOU?" Perrin screamed, his heart pounding in his chest, his mind frozen in terror, "WHAT DO YOU WANT?"

"All that I want, Perrin, is that you..." The next few words he couldn't quite hear but his mind understood them, somehow, "Agreed?"

"I... I..." Perrin stuttered, "I... agree."

"Good," The voice cackled, "Good. Here, take the power from my body and you will be the strongest man alive, the most powerful man in this damned place. You know what you must do."


	2. As the Fates Decide

**Author's Note: Well guys, at the time of writing, three timezones will have celebrated the New Years already. I just want to say to everyone that I really appreciate all of the support you have shown me throughout this year on all of my stories, especially the Airship. I hope this story turns out just as well and I hope that 2016 is a good year for everyone. Have a great new year, everyone!**

* * *

Perrin opened his eyes, sensation slowly returning to his body. He could feel the rain thrum against his back, a pool of water under his chest and cold metal beneath his cheek. In his limited field of vision, he could spot the bare feet of his fellow crew members, circling around him. He looked up and found everyone staring at him, not in concern but in an almost predatory way, like buzzards eyeing a desiccated carcass. With one swift movement, he jumped to his feet, a seemingly limitless well of energy pooling up in his body. His muscles felt revitalised, renewed. His mind was clear and sharp, no longer tinted by hunger or fear. His senses made the world around him light up as if it was in the middle of the day, as opposed to the dead of night in the pouring rain. He examined the faces around him, the expression on his face almost whimsical, elated.

"Captain!" Perrin shouted boldly, his voice carrying well over the wind and the rain. The crew stared at him quizzically, wondering where their watchman had gotten the sack from. They weren't complaining however, they were always ready for the Captain to put a crew member in shape, so long as it wasn't them being disciplined.

"What the fuck is going on here?" Cried back that ominous, hulking mountain of a man, pushing his way through the crew until he was standing barely a metre away from the weedy and thin lookout. He looked down at this pathetic excuse for a man and bellowed loudly, the thick, fetid stench of the man's mouth flooding forward, "You got something you want to tell me, you little shit?"

"Captain, I have news for you." Perrin responded, calmly, his words measured and relaxed. The crew couldn't understand the sudden change in him, how he suddenly looked so comfortable, so confident and assured. Perhaps he had taken a hit to the head?

"Aye? And what news be that?" The Captain responded, his face contorting into a twisted smile, showing off the broken line of teeth in his vile mouth.

"Your tenure as captain has come to an end." Perrin said. The Captain began to laugh, though the sharp, rasping noise that escaped from his lips could hardly be called laughter. Most of the crew joined in laughing as well, though some of them merely remained silent, still wondering what on Earth Perrin was trying to do. In the darkness of the night, the crew members couldn't spot the feral look in his eyes, the small smile his mouth was curving into or the small movements of Perrin's fingers, slowly curling into a fist.

"You always were a joker, Perrin." The Captain said, punctuating the sentence with a blow aimed straight at Perrin's nose. Within the blink of an eye, Perrin's hand had travelled upwards, catching the Captain's fist in his own. Everyone suddenly went silent. The Captain's mocking, humorous expression turned into one of confusion then quickly into rage. Perrin smiled widely now and a sickening crack went through the air. The Captain cried out as Perrin released his hand. What remained of the man's hands was a grotesque, mangled mess of fingers at unnatural angles, bones jutting through flesh and blood. The crew all took a step back. The Captain looked at Perrin in disbelief, the pain still burning in his mind though adrenaline was quickly serving to wash that pain away like the rain was doing to the blood on his hand. He drew his sword with his good hand and began to swing it at Perrin, slashing the air where Perrin was standing.

To Perrin, none of this seemed to matter. In his mind, there was no panic or fear of his adversary's blade or of the man himself. Somehow, at this moment, he was utterly at peace. His mind responded to every swing by the sudden contraction and relaxation of his muscles, his reaction time faster than any normal man's. He sidestepped swing after cut after jab, the Captain's sword finding nothing but the droplets of water in the air.

Perrin lashed out with his foot, connecting with his opponent's knee. Something crunched and gave way. The Captain roared in pain, dropping to a knee. Perrin used his confusion to disarm him, the sword switching sides and now resting comfortably in his's palm. Using the blade, he cut the tendons in the Captain's other knee and severed the muscles in his upper arms. He dropped the sword, letting it clatter to the platform loudly. Perrin stepped forward and grasped the Captain's head in his arms. The Captain tried to struggle but found his efforts meant nothing to Perrin's iron grip. Now, terror began to set into his mind and he couldn't help but shout, cry out for help. His loyal crew did nothing but stand and watch as Perrin started to crush his windpipe until his screams became whimpers and then turned into silence. His dead body flopped to the ground unceremoniously.

Perrin looked up and stared into the eyes of everyone around him, seeing nothing but fear. He continued to smile, "Back onto the ship, all of you! I'm the damned captain now and we have a new destination!"

* * *

"The last time you said it's going to be alright, you took Lyra on a boat." Astrid said, looking at Hiccup unconvinced. He had told him about the process of making a core. It drained the essence of the caster, taking his or her life force and transferring it into the core. He told her of the first time he tried to make one and his failure almost costing him his life.

"But, Astrid..."

"No, no 'buts', Hiccup!" Astrid snapped, a line of anger entering her voice. Hiccup stared at the ground, "No, you look at me, Hiccup. Look at me. It might've been fine to take risks when you were alone, stuck on that damn island or floating above the world all by your lonesome but its different now. You can't take risks like that anymore. I love you and... I wouldn't know what to do without you." She said, sadness creeping into her voice, "And what about Lyra? She adores you. Without you around, she..."

"Hey, hey, hey," Hiccup said, taking Astrid's hand in his, "It's... it's fine, forget I mentioned it. I'm sorry." He shook his head, dismissing the idea now.

"No, I'm sorry, Hiccup. I know these type of things mean a lot to you and I feel like I just get in the way sometimes."

"Stop," Hiccup interrupted, "Don't say things like that. You and Lyra are the greatest things that could've ever happened to me, truly." Hiccup said, looking sincerely into Astrid's eyes.

"Listen to us, arguing like an old married couple, we've still got quite a few years before we become that." Astrid chuckled.

"Mommy!" A soft little voice cried out from the next room. Astrid and Hiccup turned their heads simultaneously towards the door. They sighed and smiled before standing, walking towards the door.

* * *

 _ **What have you done, Brother?** **How could you have let this happen! That type of power and you let it fester inside that mortal body for years, unchecked?**_

 _ **I had no idea that this would happen, Brother, truly. She was dead, your champion had won. I did not predict her body would still retain those powers.**_

 _ **Now what? That boy is under the influence of a vengeful spirit, that was stuck in its former body for years, with strength and speed beyond that of a mortal with a lust for power.**_

 _ **We know where he is heading next.**_

 _ **We have to warn Hiccup.**_

 _ **We cannot, the Contract dictates you cannot interfere with his life anymore, he is no longer your champion.**_

 _ **So we let him die?**_

 _ **It will be as Fate decides, Brother.**_

* * *

Hiccup and Astrid sat beside the little bed covered in thick furs, the body underneath them wriggling and squirming in impatience. She couldn't sleep. Astrid and Hiccup smiled down at their daughter, who begged them to tell her a story before she went to sleep. Finally, Hiccup nodded in surrender and took a seat beside Lyra, who sat up in her bed and shuffled over to her father's side. Hiccup tussled the girl's long, flowing blonde hair, the same hair of her mother's and her large, innocent blue eyes stared up in open awe as Hiccup recounted the stories of his youth, of monsters and champions who would battle for the fate of the world.

And, in this moment, Lyra felt that her life couldn't get any better.


	3. Dreams

The weak sun peaked over the endless seas to look down dimly onto a bleak, white wintry landscape. Snow lay layered heavily over the entire island of Berk, transforming the isle into an seemingly expanse of whiteness. A steady and stiff Northerly breeze swept its way across the ocean, tugging and pulling at the surface of the dark, uneasy waters. The wind was suddenly rebuked on its path by a cliff and the wind shifted directions, billowing upwards, following the white mineral veins in the dark cliff rock. The wind reached the top of the cliff and was suddenly stopped again by a small log cabin. The wind sent up a drift of snow racing along the ground until the little flecks of snow– almost invisible as they flew through the air– came into contact with a window, where they melted and became little rivulets of water, evaporating into nothing.

Inside, underneath layers of heavy furs, Hiccup laid sleeping, alone. The furs to his side had been disturbed and laid askew. He shifted and turned onto his side, his brow furrowed into a frown and his hands grasping the mattress tightly, his knuckles almost turning white. Sweat began to appear at his temples and he made noises like that of a child, whimpering and afraid.

Hiccup couldn't recognise where he was. He was in a village but everything was strange here. The sky was pitch black but the world around him was lit up perfectly, as if it was the middle of day. The buildings around him were set ablaze. The timbers of the houses were capped by dancing flames but the fires were frozen, unmoving. There was also no heat and no cold here, no sense of temperature. Hiccup sniffed the air but he couldn't even smell the ashes or the cinders or the smoke. He strained his ears for any noise but heard nothing. This place was nothing but a dark void.

He started to walk through the destroyed village, trying to find out where he was. As he did so, he came upon scenes of violence, vignettes of intense brutality. The people were strange too. They were all coloured in hues and tones of grey, as if the colour had been washed out of them in a flood of ashes. Their faces were odd as well. They all looked familiar, Hiccup mused to himself, but he couldn't quite place where he had seen them. A man in armour held a woman off of the ground, his hands grabbing her by the hair and skull, in front of what looked to be a barn. His sword was poised to slice through her scalp. Two assailants assailants held a man still as a third descended upon him with a knife, a feral bloodlust in his eyes that Hiccup, sadly, knew all too well. A child being dragged off, screaming and kicking, spittle flying from his mouth in silent fury as his parents lay trapped inside their burning house, their arms stretched out as if to try and grab their son back. Somehow, Hiccup felt strangely detached from all of this death and destruction. He didn't feel a thing as he walked through a village being sacked.

He continued to walk, ignoring the tableaus of murder. He passed by a dock that laid in ruins and looked out to where would've been the sea. Instead, all he saw was a vast plateau that stretched to the horizon and beyond of fetid sediment, filled with dead and dying fish, a thin layer of underwater greenery coating the ground. He heard a shout and spun around. The bright light that this place seemed to be cast in started to, slowly, fade. Hiccup started towards the shout, cautious at first. He started to hear low, distorted indiscernible noise in his ears as he started his steps. In the corners of his eyes, colour started to fade into the desolate and empty world. He started to speed up, his steps becoming strides. The noise started to clear up, becoming the crackling of fire, the snapping of wood. Colour entered the world in splotches and splashes, slowly filling up the grey and the black. Snow began to fall. Hiccup was running now. More screams burst into his ears, the fires now raged loudly in his ears. He looked left and right. The frozen figures now came to life, enacting out their brutal attacks on living, moving, thinking victims. Shrieks, shouts, cries, howls, yells and screeches. Chaos filled the air. Colour had returned now and Hiccup spun around in confusion, panic and fear unlike any other beginning to set into his mind, gripping him in terror. How could this be happening?

Someone shouted his name and his heart suddenly burst into overdrive, pounding against his ribcage furiously. He sprinted towards the source of his name and stopped upon a final, frozen scene, not yet to come into play. A man, cloaked in black stood triumphant, with his back to Hiccup. Blood lay splattered before him, stark red spilled onto pure white snow. A body laid broken on the ground, his face blocked to Hiccup. Hiccup took a few steps forward, approaching the diorama with care. He heard a child crying and the hoarse, sorrowed and heartbreaking sobbing of a woman. Hiccup stopped behind the man in black, eyeing wearily his hood and thinking of what could be underneath that dark cowl. With a sudden burst of speed, the figure turned and there it was, her face in all its gory and gruesome detail. Camicaze. Hiccup reeled backwards, stumbling to the ground, crawling backwards away from this spectre of his past. Her face was broken, eaten away in some parts to reveal the white skull beneath. One of her eyes was missing and the other glared at Hiccup with manic, unhinged rage. Panic seized Hiccup and he pulled himself up, turning to run away. He glanced behind him to see if she was in pursuit. When he looked back he was suddenly engulfed in blackness. It was like he was in a room whose walls were painted the utmost and darkest black. He shouted in terror as he heard laughter beside his ear and he spun to face whatever was behind him, but he found nothing still but blackness. He whirled round, fear taking over any hint of rational thought, he was afraid beyond belief.

"Hiccup."

Hiccup shot straight up in his bed, mouth open, screaming. He scrambled backwards until his back hit the headboard with a loud smack. Sweat covered his body thickly, despite the inherent chill in the room. His eyes were wide with terror and his heart raced. He couldn't see properly, to him he was still in that dark, black abyss, chased by a ghoul of his past.

Astrid burst into the room, her worn blue-bladed axe in one hand as she stood ready to face whatever threat was in the room, "HICCUP!" She shouted.

When she saw there was nothing but Hiccup, she dropped her axe and rushed to his side, grasping one of his hands and placing her other hand on his cheek. He continued to scream, despite what Astrid said to him.

"Oh Gods, oh Gods, Hiccup, come on. It's all okay, its okay! I'm here for you, Hiccup, I'm here! It's me, Astrid!" She said, trying to calm him down, speaking kindly, despite alarm in her thoughts. Fear set into Astrid now as well, fear for not knowing what to do and fear of losing Hiccup. She took hold of his head with both hands and pressed her forehead against his, forcing him to look into his eyes.

"Hiccup! Look at me! Look at me!" The screaming stopped, though Hiccup still struggled frantically, "Look at me, please! It's me, Astrid! Look at me, Hiccup!" She said, pleading. Slowly, Hiccup's eyes started to focus until he was pulled from that dark world of dreams. He looked around, eyes darting from one side to the other before settling onto Astrid's clear, deep blue eyes. His breathing started to slow and Astrid exhaled deeply, realising that she hadn't taken a breath yet.

"Hiccup, you had me so worried." Astrid said, letting go of his head. Hiccup collapsed into her open arms, feeling her arms wrap themselves strongly around his torso. His next few breathes came in shuddering, great gulps of air as he tried to further calm himself. He pressed his face into her shoulder, like a child seeking solace with their mother.

"What happened?" Astrid asked as Hiccup pulled away.

"I had, a, a, a nightmare." He stuttered, mind still reeling from his dream, "It was... it was terrible. My God, Astrid, it was terrible! I saw a village being sacked and... I saw Cami, she was chasing me, taunting me!" He said, looking into her eyes and in that moment, Astrid could see the pain and the fear and the sorrow in those eyes that were old beyond measure.

"It's all okay now, Hiccup, it's all okay now. It was just a dream, it was all just a dream." Astrid reassured him, pulling him into a warm embrace again. She felt his chest expand and contract in ragged movements, feeling his body shudder against hers and she pulled him even closer. They stayed there for what felt like an eternity. Finally, they removed themselves from one another and Hiccup gave her a weak but sincere smile, "Feeling better now?" Astrid asked.

"Yeah, better now." He nodded. Astrid pressed his hands in hers before standing.

"It's already noon, didn't you have to visit Gobber today?"

"Right." Hiccup stood and started towards the door but stopped when Astrid held up a hand, "What?"

"Shouldn't you get dressed first?" Hiccup looked down at himself and cursed.

"Probably a good idea."

"Probably."

* * *

Hiccup stepped outside of the cabin to a blast of frigid air, his face already turning the slightest bit numb. He took a few steps forward, the snow crunching beneath his boots and looked up at that clear, clean blue sky. He sucked in a sobering breath, the chill slightly stinging the inside of his nose. The cabin was located on top of a hill that slowly rolled downwards towards Berk, the entire village visible though barely from this vantage point. Hiccup could even spot a few small black outlines of people from here, moving through the village on their daily duties. He turned to his right and looked out to the ocean. The cabin sat twenty metres from a sudden drop into a rough and choppy sea. The cabin was relatively new as well, Hiccup had finished construction last year and they had only lived here for six months so far. Astrid and Hiccup thought it wise to wait for Lyra to be old enough to recognise danger before moving into a cabin next to a cliff. Despite this, Hiccup had also set up a fence, just in case. He heard the door open and shut behind him and he turned, seeing Astrid step out into the snow as well.

"I already took Lyra for her lessons earlier this morning." Astrid said to him casually, as she joined him by his side. Hiccup frowned and looked at her with confusion.

"What lessons?"

"Don't you remember? She's learning her runes." She responded, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Who's teaching her? Not the same old hag who taught you how to read and write, was it?" Astrid punched him in the arm, "Ouch!"

"What's wrong with my literacy?"

"Nothing, not since I helped you with it. By the Gods, you used to take an entire minute to read a simple sentence." Hiccup said, looking upwards thoughtfully, "But you've definitely improved!" He added quickly when he noticed Astrid's glare.

"And show some respect to the Elder, she's old enough to be your grandmother!"

"She's old enough to be everyone's _great_ grandmother." Hiccup chuckled but Astrid didn't share his sense of humour, making sure he understood that with a swift punch to the arm. Hiccup yelped in mock pain, "Alright, I'll stop. What have you got planned for today?"

"Well, Snot's recruited me to help him train the kids at the academy so I'll be spending most of the day doing that."

"I hear he's having trouble keeping those kids in line."

"Well, I won't be having any of that." Hiccup chuckled, thinking of the torment those trainees would be subjected to today. He certainly knew the full extent of Astrid's rage, "What's so funny?"

"Nothing, nothing." Astrid squinted suspiciously at him.

"What about you? What are you and Gobber up to today? I hope this isn't just an excuse for the two of you to sit around all day drinking mead and doing nothing." Astrid said seriously, looking at Hiccup warningly, "You two have jobs, even if you tend to forget that yourselves."

"No, don't worry about me. I'm actually going to be working today. Snot's managed to dull every single blade in the arena, so we'll just be working on that all day today." Hiccup told her, "Hey, aren't the twins also helping out at the academy?"

"Yeah, they sorta share the place with Snot. HE trains one day, those two the other and back and forth. I'm worried about those kids, I really am." Astrid responded, "How's Fish?"

"He's doing good, last I saw him. He swings by the smithy sometimes, sometimes I go by his place. He's really enjoying... Err, what's his 'official' job title?"

"Town scribe."

"Town scribe? Really? Makes him seem so lowly."

"I didn't pick it." Astrid shrugged, "Come Hiccup, let's get going, we've wasted enough time."

* * *

 **Author's Note: From now on, I'll be trying to get out two thousand word chapters each time now so that the chapters have a bit more substance to them. Anyways, here's to the first update of 2016! I hope you all enjoy this story as much as you enjoyed the Airship. Please leave some feedback down below. Thanks!**

 **-Thomas**


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